Magazine cut-off for repeating firearms.



J. H. WHEELER.

MAGAZINE GUT-OFP P0P. REPEATINGHRBARMS.

APPLICATION FILED APB.14, 1908. 940,764.. Patented Nov. 23, 1909. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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J. H.'WHEELER. MAGAZINE CUT-OFF POR BEPEATING FIRBABMS.

. APPLIdATIoN FILED APR. 14.19oa.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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JOI-IN HENRY WHEELER, 0E NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE IMARLIN FIREARMS COMPANY, OF 'NEIV HAVEN,`CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- MAGAZINE CUT-OFF FR REPEATING FIREARMS.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that l, JOHN HENRY WHEELER, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Haven, county of New Haven, Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful VImprovements in Magazine Cut-Offs for Repeating Firearms, of which the following `is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to repeating firearms and particularly to improvements in the cartridge cut-oill mechanism for the magazine. lnthat type of repeating firearm to which my invention relates, a magazine of the tubular variety is employed, the same being located adjacent to the barrel and opening rearwardly into the breech frame or receiver. It is applicable to a gun with either an exposed or a concealed hammer.

Among the objects of the invention are convenience in handling and safety. In the ordinary repeating firearm of this type, if any of the cartridges are contained in the magazine and it is desired to remove the same, say after a days shooting, the only method that may be employed is to operate the gun several times (according to the number of cartridges in the magazine)v whereby the cartridges will be fed through the receiver and ejected in the usual course. In such an event the greatest care must be exercised to avoid discharging the cartridges as they are successively passed through the breech chamber. Many accidents have 0ccurred by reasonof insufficient care in this respect. By my invention I eliminate eli-"- tirely the necessity of passing the loaded cartridges from the magazine through the chamber by providing a very simple manually operated means for releasing the cut-off (the construction of the latter itself being novel), whereby the cartridges are instantly released and discharged into the hand of the operator without the slightest danger. By this improvement, convenience and safety are at once attained and the magazine may be emptied at any time with the greatest eX- pedition.

Another advantage of this construction will be appreciated whenever any part of the action of the gun becomes clogged, jammed or disabled, for in such event it would prevent the practice of the old method of removing the loaded shell from' the gun. For example, assuming in the op- Specication of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 14, 1908. Serial No. 426,938.

Patented Nov. 23, 1909.

eration of the gun, the head of the shell is broken away from the body in the act of eX- tracting the same from the chamber. would leave in the chamber an obstruction which obviously would have to be removed before another cartridge could be inserted vinto the chamber and before the magazine could be emptied in the old way. By m improvement, under such conditions, all of the loaded cartridges in the magazine may `be instantly removed, thus permitting the operator to proceed with the necessary repair with perfect safety.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of certain parts of a repeating firearm, partly broken away; Fig. 2 is a similar view with some of the lparts in a different position; Fig. 3 is a similar view, certain other parts being removed; Fig. 4 is a horizontal section; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the cutoif in'detail; Fig. 6 is a plan view of said cut-off with a part of the frame in section; Fig. 7 is a plan view of one part of the cut` off 5 Fig. 8 is a plan view of another part of the cut-off. v

As to the details of the action by which `the cartridges are successively carried up 'into the receiver, forced into the chamber,

extracted and ejected, I need only refer to the same generally, since those parts correspond substantially to similar parts set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 528,905 of Nov. 6, 1894, No. 560,032 of May 12, 1896, and No. 7 76,322 of Nov. 29, 1904, vsuch mechanism being now well known by reason of the disclosures in said patents. In the present instance, the invention relating more particularly to the cut-olf, I shall confine the detailed description thereto.

1 is the stock.

2 is a barrel.

3 is the breech frame or receiver.

4 is the breech-block.

5 is the carrier.

6 is the magazine arranged underneath the barrel 2 and provided with the usual spring-pressed follower (not shown) by which any cartridges contained in the magazine are forced rearwardly toward the receiver, so as to be successively admitted therein at the proper time.

In the particular form of invention herein shown, the breeclrblocli 4 carries a locking bolt, one part of which I term herein a This Y depending lug, as shown at 7. The car tridge handling mechanism is operated by the action rod 8 controllable by a handle (not shown) slidable upon the magazine 6, as in the aforesaid patents. As the action rod 8 is advanced or retracted, the action mechanism is moved to handle the cartridges and extract and eject the discharged shells. Then the carrier 5 stands in the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and one cartridge in the magazine is released it springs back into the receiver and rests upon said carrier to be elevated thereby by a forward movement of the action'rod.

rIhe means for holding the cartridges in the magazine is generally termed the cutoff and in several respects I have improved the construction of this detail and so arranged it relatively to cooperating parts that it may be either mechanically or manually operated, in the latter instance for the purpose of permitting one or more of the cartridges in the magazine to be quickly and safely removed.

9 represents a cartridge in the magazine.

10-11 represent two parts of the cut-ofi', arranged side by side. 12 is the pivot pin for the parts 10 and 11. These two parts 10 and 11 of the cut-oil are supported in a recess in one side wall of the frame directly to the rear of the magazine (5. At the forward end of each part or section 10-11 there is a stop abutment, as shown at 10ILL and 11a, respectively. The stop 10a projects slightly ahead of the stop 11a. The section 11 is also provided with an arm 11, the purpose of which will be hereinafter explained.

14 is a button mounted in a hole in the side wall of the receiver directly behind the tailv of both cut-off members, whereby, by manually operating the same, the two sections of the cut-off may be swung into such a position as to shift the stop abutments 1Ga and 11a out of their operative or cartridgeholding position, thus permitting the cartridges in the magazine to be forced out by the follower. Any suitable means may be provided to cause the sections 10-11 tostand normally in a position to cut off or stop the cartridges in the magazine. For example, each section 10-11 may have a spring 10b 11c for that purpose. The stop abutment 10EL is provided with a bevel 10C. The action rod S is provided with a cam shoulder Sil arranged to cooperate with the projection 11b of the cut-olf section 11, when the action rod is substantially at its rearmost position and at which moment it is desired to release a single cartridge from the magazine 6.

Operation: Assuming the parts stand in the position shown in solid lines Fig. l, the cartridge 9 will be seen to be held in the magazine by its engagement with the abutment 10a of the section 10. The first rear ward movement of the action rod tilts the depending lug 7 of the locking bolt, moving it down to the position shown in Fig. 2. This movement rides down the bevel 10c of the cut-off section 10, repressing the abutment 10a so as to free it from the head of cartridge 9. This permits the cartridge to take a slight rearward movement until it strikes the abutment 1la (F ig. 2). Vhile in this position the rim of the cartridge overstands and holds back the forward end of the cut-off section 10. The cartridge 9 will remain in this second position during the further rearward movement of the action rod 8 until the cam shoulder 8a engages the arm 11b, tilting the cut-off section 11 so as to withdraw the abutment 11L and thus free this cartridge. At this time, of course, the carrier 5 stands in the position shown in dotted lines Fig. 1, so that the released cartridge flies back into a position where it will rest on said carrier ready to beelevated thereby at the proper time. The moment the rim of the cartridge 9 leaves the abutment 10a, the section 10 is moved under the influence of spring 10b so that said abutment 10a will move into its operative position to catch and stop the next succeeding cartridge in the magazine. It will be seen that one section of the cut-off is operated by one of the internal moving parts of the action, while the other section will be operated by the action rod itself, this, when the gun is operated in the regular manner. Under such conditions the cut-off may be said to be automatic. If, at any time, say at the end of a days shooting, it is desired to empty the magazine, the user needs only to operate the button 14, whereupon all of the cartridges in the magazine are quickly expelled. This may be said to be a manual operation as distinguished from automatic or mechanical action. `As already pointed out, this simple method of emptying the magazine renders the gun absolutely safe whenever an emergency arises wherein it would be dangerous to have in the gun any loaded shells.

lVhile I have shown my invention in one preferred form and as applied to one particular form of a repeating firearm, it is obvious that it may be modified in many ways, depending upon the particular construction and action with which it is to be combined, and I mention this because it would be apparent to any practical gunsmith that the fundamental idea of the invention may take many different forms and of necessity would require modification where adapted to repeating actions of a construction different from that selected for illustration herein.

lhat I claim is:

1. In a repeating firearm, a receiver, action mechanism therein, means for operating said action mechanism, a cartridge magazine, a two-part cut-off, va pivot in common to both parts, said cut-offl being partially operated by one part of the action mechanism to partially release a cartridge from said magazine, and partially by the action operating means to fully release said partially released cartridge, both parts of vsaid cut-off being mounted independently of the breech mechanism.

2. In aV repeating firearm, a receiver, action mechanism therein, means for operating said action mechanism, a magazine, and a cut-off therefor comprising two parts mounted on an inner wall of said receiver, one part being operated by the action mechanism within the receiver, the other part being operated by the means for operating said action, both parts being mounted independently of the breech mechanism.

8. In a repeating firearm, a breech frame, a tubular magazine, a cut-off therefor, said cut-off including two independent stop abut ment-s mounted on the said frame, one projecting slightly in advance of the other, means for mechanically actuating said cutoft' when the breech mechanism is operated, and Vseparate means for manually operating said cut-0E independently of lthe operation of the gun to shift both stop abutments to free the cartridges in the magazine.

4L. In a repeating firearm, a cut-off comprising two parts, a pivot in common to both, a stop abutment on each part one abutment being slightly in advance of the other, means for operating each of said parts independently and successively, and separate means for manually operating both of said parts simultaneously. Y

5. In a repeating firearm, a tubular magazine, a cut-offz therefor comprising two parts, a stop shoulder on each of said parts, one of said shoulders being in advance of the other, means for mechanically operating each of said parts to withdraw said abutments successively, and separate means for manually operating both of said parts to simultaneously withdraw said abutments.

v6. In a repeating rearm, a magazine, a cut-off therefor comprising two movable parts arranged side by side, a stop abutment on each part, means for operating said parts successively to impart a corresponding movement to said abutments, and separate means for manually operating said parts simultaneously to impart a corresponding movement to said stop abutments.

7. In a repeating firearm, a magazine, a cut-off comprising two pivoted parts arranged side by side, a stop abutment on each part, means for operating one part from one end to withdraw the stop abutment thereon, means for operating the other part from the other end to withdraw said abutment thereon, and independent manually operable means for operating both of said parts from one end to withdraw both of said stop abutments.

S. In a repeating firearm, a magazine, a cut-oftl including two abutments one arranged in advance of the other, means for mechanically operating said cut-off to withdraw both of said abutments from their operative positions, one in advance of the other, and means to manually operate said cut-off to withdraw both of said abutments from their operative positions simultaneously.

9. In a repeating firearm, a magazine, a cut-off therefor including two stop abutments, means for operating said cut-off to successively withdraw said abutments from their operative positions, and independent means for manually operating said cut-off to withdraw both of said abutments from their operative positions.

JOHN HENRY WHEELER.

Witnesses FRED It. STAUB, M. E. WARD. 

